Charlotte Flair’s reaction after her WrestleMania 39 loss wasn’t disappointment, it was satisfaction. Following her SmackDown Women’s Championship showdown with Rhea Ripley, Flair was caught smiling at ringside as Ripley celebrated, a moment that instantly stood out to fans. Flair later explained that the expression wasn’t about conceding defeat, but about confidence in what they had just delivered, describing her mindset simply as, “Follow that.” The match was designed to set an impossibly high bar for the rest of the weekend, and Flair viewed it as a statement to the entire locker room rather than a response to any specific main event. Widely praised as a modern WrestleMania classic, the bout also symbolized a generational shift, with Flair embracing the idea that Ripley had officially stepped into the role of the division’s dominant force; something both performers reportedly took pride in backstage after the bell rang.
“It was more like, ‘Follow that.’ That’s how I felt,” Flair stated. “I felt like Rhea and I [had] incredible chemistry, a lot of history, and that match, I was proud of both of us. She was probably thinking it too. ‘Follow that.’ That was the smile.”
Transcription: WrestlingInc
